Student Fundraising Handbook

Student Fundraising Handbook

Thank you! Meningitis is a uniquely fast-acting and devastating disease that can affect anyone. Students are at higher risk which is why it is so important that amazing students like you help us with our mission of a world free from meningitis and septicaemia. By taking up this challenge not only will you have an experience you ll never forget but you will also help to prevent others contracting meningitis, help to further treatment methods and support those affected so thank you! Contents Your trip contacts 03 Students and meningitis 04 Support from the Student Team 05 Paying in your donations 06 Fundraising Ideas 07 Bucket collections 10 Fundraising calendar 11 Laws around fundraising 12

Jenny Robinson Your trip contacts Meningitis Research Foundation Student Team Andy Tribe We have a dedicated student team here to support you with your fundraising. You will have a university account manager who will be your main point of contact and will keep in contact with you throughout the year. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch! Email Students@meningitis.org Phone 0333 405 6246 Facebook MRFStudents Imi Farmer Choose a Challenge As your tour provider, Choose a Challenge will be organising the logistics of the trip. If you have any questions about the trip that aren t fundraising related, such as transport, accommodation or kit, please contact Choose a Challenge and they will be happy to help. Email team@chooseachallenge.com Phone 0203 773 4140 Challenge Leader Your Challenge Leader will be taking on the same challenge as you as well as fundraising. They are your point of contact on campus and will organise meetings with you to catch up and help you with your fundraising. RAG Rag or Raising and Giving are an amazing group students who raise thousands of pounds for charities every year. They are a great contact to help you organising fundraisers on campus. For some universities they will also help you with counting your money and sending it over to the charity. 03

Students & meningitis Students are the second largest at-risk group which is why it is incredibly important that we work with them to raise awareness of the life-saving symptoms. Around 1 in 10 people in the general population carry the meningitis causing bacteria in the back of their nose and throats. However in the student population the carriage rate is 1 in 4 which puts students much more at risk. There has been a rise in cases of a virulent strain of Men W which has a higher associated death rate than other strains. This strain has a 13% fatality compared the average 5-10% fatality. This has increased from 22 cases in 2009 to over 200 cases in 2016. It has been shown that there has been a sharp increase in the cases within the student population in relation to this strain of Men W. This is why it is so important to protect the student population with vaccines and ensure they have a good knowledge of the symptoms. I ve had 30 operations since I survived the disease. The septicaemia was so bad that I lost the ends of my feet and the tips of my fingers but I haven t let it stop me doing anything I wanted Sophie Royce Men W survivor What are Meningitis Research Foundation doing to combat meningitis? Prevention Supporting ongoing research and raising awareness of the symptoms to see fewer people get meningitis and septicaemia Diagnosis and Treatment Working with governments to strengthen patient healthcare to see more people survive with a better quality of life and reduced disability Engagement, Information and Support Supporting those who have been affected as well as being a voice for our supporters in the UK and Republic of Ireland. 04

Support from the student team 1-2-1 Fundraising Sessions Each term your charity representative will come to campus and have a scheduled face to face meeting with you. Your 20 minute session will allow your charity rep to help create a bespoke fundraising plan with you that will cater to your networks, availability and skills. It also means that you have the opportunity to ask any questions you might and have and get to know the charity better Don t worry if you can t make a session, we will rearrange to have a session over the phone to ensure that you get the bespoke support you need. Monthly Catch Up Calls E-newsletter Each month we will send you an email with fundraising ideas relevant to the time of year. The email will also include a fundraiser spotlight which will highlight one of our amazing student fundraisers. Facebook Group You will be added to a Facebook group which will include the charity representatives, the Choose a Challenge Team, the Rag and your Challenge Leaders. This group will include everyone who is going on your trip and will be a hub of information on milestones, fundraising ideas and opportunities and trip updates. Each month we will have a quick 5-10 minute catch up phone call. This is just to touch base with you and see how we can support you more. It may be that we have resources that would be useful for an event you re running or we can provide you with more ideas if you are a little stuck for inspiration. 05

Donations online Having an online page is a great way to share your fundraising efforts on social media, get extra donations from friends and help to keep track of your fundraising. We use a fundraising platform called Everydayhero and will have a bespoke campaign for your challenge and university. Top Tips Personalise your page with photos and a description that describes what you are fundraising for Shout about Meningitis Research Foundation and the work we do. Your donors will give more generously if you are passionate about the cause Blog about your fundraising. You can easily share photo updates to show people what fundraising and training you have been doing You can link the training app Strava to your page and share any training that you do Gift Aid This scheme allows Meningitis Research Foundation to claim an extra 25p for each 1 we receive from eligible tax payers. This is fantastic however there are restrictions on who we can claim donations from and Gift Aid law states that donations from your close connections isn t eligible. Below we have outlined who these people are. Unfortunately gift aid donations cannot be counted towards your total however we would still encourage your donors to take the option if eligible. Grandparents/ Step-grandparents Parents/ Step-parents Siblings YOU Spouse Your children Your step-children 06 Your grandchildren Your stepgrandchildren

Donations offline Any donation that isn t directly paid onto your EverydayHero page will be classed as offline. So cash sponsorship, other fundraising pages in aid of your trip, cheques and any money raised from your own events. Bank Details Sort Code: 55-61-38 Account Number: 79588093 Reference: Your full name and University It is essential that you include the correct reference so that we can record the money on your record. Cheque Send to: Newminster House, Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1LT Include a note with: Your full name, University and challenge It is essential that you include a note with your information so that we can record the money on your record. Recording your offline donations Keeping track of your fundraising is easy with Everydayhero as you can add any offline donations onto your page. Underneath your profile picture on your Everydayhero page there is an option to Add offline donation Simply click the link and enter how the money was raised in the name section, the amount, leave the other fields blank and simply submit This will then appear on your page and be added to your overall total 07

Fundraising ideas Go home and get started Dare for Dosh It s simple, do ridiculous dares to make donations. We have had some great dares in the past including eating dry crackers, riding a tandem bike in drag and wearing fancy dress for a whole work day. To ensure that the dares are ones you are comfortable with, its s best to suggest the dares yourself and have a fundraising target for each. Once the target is met it s time to do your Dare for Dosh. Give Up Your Favourite Things Offer to give up your favourite thing, sweets, fizzy drinks, chocolate or whatever else you may be able to think of for a day, week, month, however long you think you can last! Make sure you share your struggles with your friends and family to encourage them to donate. You could also donate the money you save as an extra means to boost your fundraising. Donations for Presents If you have a birthday, Christmas or other celebration s coming up, consider asking for donations to your fundraising instead of gifts. This is a great way to boost donations quickly and people are more likely to be generous. Small fundraisers Car Boot Sale Car boot sales are one of those traditional fundraising ideas and a truly great way to raise money. If your house or even your university room is full of lots of unwanted bit and bobs, a car boot sale could be a fantastic solution. If you have anything that might be a bit more valuable, try finding a collector or use Ebay to attract more buyers. Sweepstake A sweepstake is a great way of making fundraising current and relevant. You can use the buzz generated by public events and the natural speculation over the result and use it to raise valuable income towards your fundraising target. Any event where there is an element of competition can be used: the World Cup, Eurovision or Reality TV shows are just some of the competitions you could use. Odd Jobs If you ve got a bit of free time on your hands then offering to do odd jobs around the neighbourhood or your halls of residence is a very easy fundraiser which doesn t require much time. You could offer to do their washing up, take out their rubbish, mow the lawn and a whole range of other jobs. 08

Medium fundraisers Non-Uniform Day Get in contact with old or local schools and ask if they d be willing to host a non-uniform day in aid of your fundraising. Offer to do an assembly in return about the charity and the challenge or you could talk to 6th formers about your university experience! Waxing/ Head Shave Leg and chest waxing or head shaves are great fundraisers. Try to hold the event in a public space. Having a bucket or tin around will attract extra donations and you can offer people the chance to buy waxing strips to wax you themselves, or offer the highest donor the chance to do the shaving! Taxi Service Offering lifts for donations on busy evenings to your friends and family is a great way to make donations. Whether you offer to take your friends to the airport or chauffer the family around on New Year s Eve everyone s a winner. You will get donations for the charity and your family and friends will get a cheaper taxi service. Large fundraisers Black Tie Night Organising a charity ball can be a daunting prospect, but with proper planning and consideration any fears will give way to great satisfaction and rewards. Try and source venues, catering, and entertainment. Use the fact that the event is for charity to try and keep your costs down! Sports Tournament Sports tournaments can be awesome money makers. Pick a sport that is popular amongst your friends to try and increase interest. You will need to organise a venue, sports equipment, referees etc. You could also offer to sell food and drinks on the day to increase donations. Sponsored Run/Walk/Cycle Taking part in sponsored events is a great way to raise awareness of your fundraising and will help with your training at the same time. Ask some friends to participate and ask them to fundraise for you as well for an extra boost to your donations. If you re doing a static cycle try and host it somewhere with a lot of footfall on campus to increase donations. 09

Bucket collections Bucket Collections are a brilliant way to boost your fundraising throughout the year. Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) will provide you with a minimum of 3 public street collections a term. If you would like to organise one at home during the holidays talk to your charity rep and we will look at organising one for you. 010 If you want to organise a bucket collection on private property such as in a supermarket or shopping centre you are welcome to organise this yourself. You will need to contact the manager and if you need any help feel free to ask your charity rep. Legalities If collecting in public you must take a permit to collect with you. This will be supplied by MRF and the permit may have some specifications so be sure to read over it Your bucket must have a lid and be securely sealed with a security label that will be provided by either MRF or your challenge leader You must let MRF know how much you collected as soon as possible. MRF won t be able to book more collections for you until we have received this information so it is vital that you let us or your challenge leader know. Top Tips for Bucket Collecting Know your stuff! Make sure you know a few facts and figures about the charity Be polite! This may sound obvious but using please and thank you will go a long way in getting extra donations Where you stand is key to this, make sure in a nice busy space but visible! Fancy dress will make you pretty unmissable! Don t be scared to ask for donations from the general public but try to avoid making individuals feel uncomfortable Be prepared to put in the hours, the longer you collect for the more money you ll make! Time your breaks around peak times to avoid missing out.

s e t a d l u f e Us September October November December 31st Halloween Party 5th Guy Fawkes firework party End of Term Party 25th Christmas 31st New Year s Eve January February March April Exam Season 3rd 6 Nations sweepstake 11th Mother s day event 1st Easter Sunday 4th Superbowl party 16th Cheltenham Gold cup sweepstake 6th FA Cup sweepstake 25th Burns night poetry slam/meal 13th Pancake Day 14th Valentine s Day 16th Chinese New Year party 17th St. Paddy s Day party 12-14th Grand National sweepstake 24th World Meningitis Day 27-29th London Loot May June July August 4th Star Wars day 17th Father s Day event 4th American independence day party 27th US Open 12th Eurovision sweepstake/party 19th FA cup final football tournament/ party 14/15th July Fifa World Cup sweepstake 2nd-15th Wimbledon sweepstake/tennis tournament 15th Fifa World Cup final party/football tournament 011

Laws around fundraising It s always important that when fundraising you follow the laws surrounding it. These are in place to help make your event as safe as possible Alcohol - See if your venue has a licence or speak to your local council about a temporary licences Date Protection If you need to collect information about people for a fundraising event please comply with the Date Protect Act. As a guide don t share anyone s data unless they have given you expressed permission and destroy it as soon as you no longer need it Donations Always try to keep your money in a safe location and ensure there is more than one person present when counting the donations. Whilst carrying donation please never put yourself in a vulnerable position and try to donate the money to the charity as quickly as possible First Aid It s a good idea to be aware of health and safety and ensure with larger events that you have enough trained first aiders to cover it. Staff at venues you hire may be trained so always remember to ask Food hygiene Ensure that any food you serve is safely prepared, cooked and is stored properly. Some venues or campuses may have particular food hygiene requirements to be sure to check first Insurance We recommend that you have Public liability insurance for you events which can be provided by the venue or potentially by the charity for certain events. Be sure to check this before your event Raffles and Lotteries These are governed by legislation so it s important to check you are following them correctly. Check out the latest guidance at www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk Risk Assessments Recognise any potential hazards and reduce risks to your participants for your event. You may need to complete a risk assessment for a venue and we are happy to provide you with a template Contact the student team t 0333 405 6262 e students@meningitis.org www.meningitis.org/students MRFStudents @M_R_F For meningitis information and support call our free helpline. 080 8800 3344 (UK) 1800 41 33 44 (Ireland) Bristol 0333 405 6262 info@meningitis.org Edinburgh 0131 510 2345 edinburgh@meningitis.org Belfast 028 9032 1283 belfast@meningitis.org Dublin 01 819 6931 dublin@meningitis.org A charity registered in England and Wales no 1091105, in Scotland no SC037586 and in Ireland 20034368. Registered Office: Newminster House, Baldwin Street, Bristol BS1 1LT. Images thanks to: zapmole756 09/2017